Michael Schwartz's Obituary
Michael A. Schwartz passed away March 28, 2024, at the age of 93. He was known for his optimism. He truly loved helping others succeed and did so whenever possible.
Mike was born on August 4, 1930, in New York City. He grew up in Brooklyn where he attended James Madison High School and the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy, receiving a BS in Pharmacy in 1952. He was drafted during the Korean Conflict and served primarily as a Pharmacist at the Tokyo Army Hospital, where he once personally filled a prescription for Marilyn Monroe. Mike was married in 1954 to Marilyn Ettinger. They had two children, Sharon and Lori, and later divorced.
Mike attended Columbia University College of Pharmacy, receiving an MS in 1956 and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, receiving a PhD in 1959. He accepted a position as a Research Scientist at Bristol Laboratories in Syracuse, New York working on the then new semi-synthetic Penicillin. In 1963, he joined SUNY Buffalo’s School of Pharmacy faculty, where he continued his research on Penicillin. In 1966, he was appointed Assistant Dean of the College, and, in 1970, was appointed Dean of the School of Pharmacy. He remained in that position until 1976, when he resigned and returned to teaching and research.
In 1978, Mike was appointed Dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida. While there, he met Karan Schwartz, who he went on to marry in 1992. They lived together in Gainesville, happily married, for the next 32 years.
In 1996, Mike retired from the deanship to return to teaching. In 2003, he officially retired from the University, but he continued teaching. He developed an elective course in Thinking Skills and went on to teach it every year until 2023. Each year, in addition to teaching the course, he prepared the curriculum, and coached instructors to lead it at satellite campuses.
Mike wrote over 60 publications on his scientific work and other professional topics. In 1974, he was a member of the US Herbal Pharmacology Delegation to the People’s Republic of China. In 1977, he was commissioned to conduct a national study on the shortages of prescription drugs. This study resulted in the 1980 publication of Prescription Drugs in Short supply: Case Histories. In the fall of 1989, Mike took a six-month sabbatical to serve as Scholar in Residence at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
Over the years, Mike served as a strategic planning consultant to numerous organizations. He was a long-time member of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), serving on the Board of Trustees from 1982 to 1984 and the Foundation Board from 1985 to 1994. He was also a member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP), and a founding member of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS). He served on the Board of the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education, the profession’s national accrediting body, from 1990 to 1996. Until recently, he was a member of the International Association of Facilitators and the Future Search Network.
Mike received several honors. In 1986, he was awarded the APhA Foundation Research Achievement Award for Stimulation of Research. In 1995, he received the APhA’s Hugo H Schaefer Award. In 1992, he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (formerly the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy). In 2007, he was awarded an Honorary Citation by the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. Mike was a fellow of both the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was elected to Rho Chi Honorary Pharmaceutical Society and the Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society.
Mike was active in the community. He served as President of the Jewish Council of North Central Florida from 2000 to 2002; participated in Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Gainesville; volunteered at the UF Museum of Natural History; and served as a docent at the Harn Museum of Art. Mike was an avid stamp collector for most of his life and was a member of the Gainesville Stamp Club. He was also a long-time member of Congregation B’nai Israel.
Mike loved to travel and have new experiences. He and his wife, Karan, travelled extensively, both throughout the US and around the world. Some of his favorite trips included honeymooning in Hawaii, traveling throughout New Zealand, hiking with Karan in national parks in the western US, cruising to Iceland with Karan and his step-daughter Kirstin, driving throughout Ireland & Scotland with Karan, and returning to China on an art tour with friends and family.
To say Mike was an avid Gator fan would be an understatement, Mike loved all things Gator. He held season tickets for both Gator Basketball and Football for over 30 years. In fact, he was a member of the Gator Basketball Boosters Club for 30+ years, travelling to Europe with the team in 2000, and a member of the Gator Tennis Boosters Club.
Michael is survived by his wife of thirty-two years, Karan, his daughters Lori Schwartz and Sharon DeMark (Michael), his step-daughter Kirstin Popper, his grandchildren David DeMark and Lucille Soble Montney (Henry), and his great-granddaughter Octavia Montney.
Funeral services will take place at 11am on Monday, April 1, 2024, at Congregation B’nai Israel (a streaming version will be available).
In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Dean Schwartz Memorial Fund may be sent to the College of Pharmacy, https://www.uff.ufl.edu/giving-opportunities/028499-dean-michael-schwartz-memorial-fund/
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